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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · net · season · charge · press · row · key · board

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. press — to push
  3. board — a committee
  4. cell — a phone
  5. row — a line
  6. net — for catching
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. press — newspapers
  9. net — after costs
  10. press — a publisher
  11. key — in music
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. board — to get on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. charge — in control
  16. row — to paddle
  17. key — the most important part
  18. season — of the year
  19. cell — in biology
  20. season — in sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com